Below is a list of strategies & resources to integrate Arts with other content areas you teach. These can be incorporated into lesson plans on all grade levels.
Living Map
In this strategy, students will use their own bodies to create pieces of a map. One group of students could become a river, while another becomes mountains or a field. As the map comes together, encourage the students to move in a way that imitates their particular piece (e.g. rivers flowing, trees blowing, etc.) Consider having students hold colored sheets of paper to help them in their representations.
- Other ideas that relate to the "Living" concept: Living venn diagram, Living electric circuit, Living weather map, Living rock cycle, Living number line, Living math problems, Human bar graph, etc.
Pass-it-Along Collage
This is an abstract note-taking strategy to help students focus on material as it is being shared. Each student is given a regular 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. As the teacher/presenter reads or shares information, students should draw a small picture or write 1 or 2 words that connect with what they have heard. Remember: You need to anticipate how many pictures may be added to the collage so you can indicate to students how large they should be drawing. More than one student will be adding to this collage! At a designated stopping point, the teacher instructs students to pass their paper to the next person, and then should continue reading/presenting. The next students adds to the collage with another picture or a few more words. Continue in this manner until all the material has been shared. The paper is then returned to the original student who can use the pictures and words to help them write a summary of the content material on the back of their collage. For a video of this strategy in action, visit this page.
Primary Source Analysis
Analyzing historical primary sources is a key historian's skill. It is also a great way to integrate social studies with any form of art. Choose a primary source--a document, a painting, a monument, an artifact, etc. Using the questions on the primary sources sheet (below), ask questions and lead a discussion with your students to better understand this historical source and the part it plays in history. After analysis, have students write about what they learned or write a creative piece that ties into the source they just analyzed.
Online Resources
- BYU Arts Partnership Lesson Plans
- The Leonardo: Lesson Plans This site has many lessons that involve science and art. They have science core lessons for third grade and up.
- Salt Lake Symphony This site connects you with a local symphony orchestra.
- Utah Symphony and Utah Symphony Orchestra Education Two websites that take you to Utah's leading professional orchestra and its quest for youth education.
- Mundi Project The Mundi Project’s mission is to provide youth access to pianos and performance opportunities that incorporate all the arts. Our two programs make piano education accessible to all youth along the Wasatch Front by placing pianos into individual homes and public spaces that show commitment to piano education/financial need, and presenting multi-disciplinary piano concerts to Title-I schools and the general public.
- Utah Youth Orchestras and Ensembles Utah Youth Orchestras give opportunities to young dedicated musicians and perform.
- Utah Museum of Fine Arts Education Offers lesson plans, teacher workshops, and other hands-on opportunities to integrate visual arts in the classroom.
- Kennedy Center Lessons and Activities Here you will find excellent lesson plans for all art forms, how-to's, and national arts standards.